Staff Engineer, Mechanical Design - Launch and Recovery Systems (R4571)

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description: Shield AI is pioneering the development of AI-powered autonomous aircraft for national defense, pushing the boundaries of aerospace innovation. Our next-gen UAS is a high-endurance unmanned system designed for deployment in complex, contested environments. We are seeking a Staff Mechanical Design & Analysis Engineer to lead the design, analysis, development, and testing of the Launch & Recovery Vehicle (LRV) for our next-gen UAS. This role combines hands-on mechanical design with rigorous engineering analysis to deliver a robust, field-deployable vehicle that enables aircraft launch, recovery, transport, and associated field operations in military environments. This position requires deep expertise in mechanical design, structural analysis, and ruggedized mechanical systems. You will own hardware from concept development and analytical substantiation through detailed design, manufacturing, and test validation. Working closely with engineering, manufacturing, and flight operations teams, you will use analysis to inform design decisions and test results to validate and refine predictive models.